New Delhi : Air India on Monday grounded one of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners after a pilot reported a possible issue with a fuel control switch, a component that is at the centre of the investigation into the deadly crash of a Dreamliner last year.
Air India in a statement said it had informed the regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, about the issue. “We are aware that one of our pilots has reported a possible defect on the fuel control switch of a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. After receiving this initial information, we have grounded the said aircraft and are involving the OEM (original equipment manufacturer ) to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis.”
The incident on Air India Flight AI132 from London Heathrow to Bengaluru, assumes significance in the wake of the increased scrutiny faced by the airline after the June 12 crash. It also heightens the urgency for the release of the final report on the crash of AI171, also a 787-8 variant, which went down shortly after take off from Ahmedabad airport, killing 260 people.
A preliminary report on the June 12 crash released a month later by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had found that fuel control switches—there are two of them in a Dreamliner cockpit, between the two pilots --were found in the “cutoff” position. The switches are used by the pilots to supply or cut off fuel to the plane’s two engines.
What caused both fuel switches to transition from normal operation to the cutoff position remains the investigation’s central mystery, leaving open possibilities ranging from mechanical failure to human error or electronic malfunction. The preliminary report also said the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot questioning the fuel cutoff, with the other denying responsibility.
Air India said in its statement on Monday that it had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet, after a directive from the DGCA following the preliminary report, and had found no issues. AAIB’s report had said that there was no “recommended action” for either Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, or GE, the engine maker, at that time.
Safety Matters Foundation, an independent aviation safety education platform, said the pilot of Flight AI132 reported an issue in the left engine fuel control switch on the aircraft that bears the tail number VT-ANX.
“During engine start, the switch failed to remain locked in the RUN position on two attempts, moving towards CUTOFF, a malfunction that could, under specific conditions, lead to an inadvertent engine shutdown in flight,” it stated. SMF also highlighted a bulletin by the US aviation regulator warning about the possibility of such behaviour.
In 2018, the US FAA issued an airworthiness bulletin for multiple Boeing aircraft models, including the 787– 8, that said the fuel control switches, manufactured by Honeywell, could inadvertently move from run to cutoff without their locking mechanism engaging.
When the locking feature is engaged, the pilot has to lift the switch deliberately to change its position. If it is disengaged, “the switch would be exposed to the potential of inadvertent operation,” the FAA said. The agency warned that inadvertent operation “could result in an unintended consequence, such as an in-flight engine shutdown.”
The directive was triggered by reports from operators of Boeing 737s that the switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. The FAA said it was told by the company that the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing models. While it advised checks on the fuel control switches and the replacement of certain models, the recommendations were not mandatory.
A Boeing spokesperson said on Monday, “We are in contact with Air India and are supporting their review of this matter.” Honeywell had not responded to requests for comment at the time of going to print.
“While no connection is implied, the repeated emergence of issues with a critical flight control system on the same aircraft type demands the highest level of scrutiny,” Capt Amit Singh, Founder of Safety Matters Foundation, adding, “This discrepancy raises urgent questions: Were the checks thorough? Is this a new, recurring defect? Passengers and crews deserve unambiguous answers.”
An official from India said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had received a preliminary report and was seeking further details from the airline. “Once the details are known, all the stakeholders including Boeing will be roped in,” the official said.
“A decision on whether all B787-8 fleets in the country should be checked will be taken after studying the matter in detail,” he added.
